In late October of 1917 the Canadian Corps was tasked with capturing a ridge line which contained the destroyed remnants of the village of Passchendaele. Though part of the larger offensive known as the Third Battle of Ypres, it is the name Passchendaele which now evokes all the horrors of the First World War.

*Repeat Episode* Canada’s House Band: The History of the Tragically Hip

In the wake of the sad news of the passing of Gord Downie, frontman for legendary Canadian band The Tragically Hip, I thought I would re-release an episode from Season 2 with a bit of a foreword. RIP Gord.

In 1926 the new Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King faced off against Canadian Governor General Lord Byng of Vimy in a political clash that would have significant ramifications for the British Empire.

The Fenian Brotherhood was a paramilitary Irish nationalist group that attempted several invasions of British North American/Canadian territory during the 1860s and early 1870s. These invasions would play a key part in motivating the various British colonies of BNA to form the Canadian confederation.

The Last of the Mohicans is a 1992 film that tells the story of the last of a proud Indigenous people as they struggle to survive in the chaos of the Seven Years War. The film’s plot takes place against the backdrop of events that were significant to Canadian pre-confederation history and to the political shaping of the North American continent.

*Special Episode* Bite and Hold: The Battle for Hill 70 and Lens August 1917

100 years ago today, August 15 1917, the Canadian Corps commanded by their newly appointed corps commander Arthur Currie were ordered to capture the city of Lens in support of the larger British offensive known as the Third Battle of Ypres. Currie changed the plans to focus on the slopes of Hill 70 and what ensued was a textbook ‘bite and hold’ operation.

The Verendrye family was one of New France’s most famous explorer families of the 18th century, carving out a European presence in vast territories that were previously untouched by European feet. They were crucial in helping to open up modern day Manitoba and Saskatchewan to European exploration and settlement.

Though Vimy Ridge was one of the more spectacular tactical successes of the First World War, strategically it did very little. Why then has it become such a well-known event in the Canadian historical consciousness? We look at some of those reasons.

On April 9 1917 the Canadian Corps launched its attack on what was thought to be one of the most difficult objectives to capture along the entire Western Front. The ensuing victory would cement the battle of Vimy Ridge as one of the most well known events in the history of this country. Part 1 examines the battle. Part 2 later this month will examine the battle as part of Canadian myth and identity.

In the summer of 1914 a ship packed full of immigrants from India was denied the right to dock in Vancouver setting off an international incident and one of Canada’s most infamous displays of anti-immigration.

In 1885 an alliance of Metis and First Nations rebel against the Canadian government seeking to incorporate what would become the province of Saskatchewan. The rebels (or heroes to some) are forced into a final last stand at Batoche in May.

S2E3 The World's Most Famous Native: The Life and Times of Joseph Brant

Joseph Brant is one of the most influential First Nations leaders in North American history. A staunch advocate for First Nations rights and a committed British ally, he was a warrior, a diplomat, a politician and a social activist.

The same war correspondent that observed the relief of Castle Itter (S2E1) is also the first leader of Quebec’s movement for sovereignty and a man who helped reshape the relationship between the Canadian federal government and the provinces.

S2E1 The Strangest Tale of the Second World War: The Battle for Castle Itter

In the closing days of the Second World War, American, German, Austrian and a smattering of multi-national prisoners of war (plus a special Canadian thrown in there for good measure) defend Castle Itter against SS soldiers bent on destruction

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